In 2018 we were strongly focussed on bringing people together for this highly collaborative project, including mental health consumers and carers from multicultural backgrounds as well as key stakeholders from across the mental health and multicultural sectors.

Together, we have begun a significant program of work which builds on the achievements of previous national projects, and aims towards an equitable mental health system and improved mental health and wellbeing for Australia’s multicultural population.

In 2019 we will continue to work together to progress this important work, including:

Providing support for organisations to evaluate and improve their cultural responsiveness through further development and promotion of the Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia

Establishing, maintaining and promoting a quality-assured knowledge exchange and repository platform on the project’s website

Mapping available evidence-based resources and tools and from these findings, identifying priorities and developing new resources and training

Establishing a data collection and reporting strategy

Initial efforts will focus on the development of the Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia into a series of modules. This includes reaching out to Primary Health Networks (PHNs) and mental health services across Australia, to help tailor the material to meet a range of service and community needs. Developing a new name, brand and website for the project will also be an early focus, and we look forward to launching the project’s new resources to you all in mid-2019.

Collaboration

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the key groups and teams who will be driving this work program.

The CALD Mental Health Consumer and Carer Group is comprised of a consumer and a carer representative from each state and territory of Australia. The Group includes a passionate, energised and diverse mix of voices and will provide advice to the Alliance based on members' lived experience and connections to their communities.

CALD Mental Health Consumer and Carer Group shown here with members of the Project Team

Stakeholder Group

The Stakeholder Group includes senior representatives from across the multicultural, mental health and related sectors. The Group will provide advice to the Alliance based on members' expertise and links to multicultural communities and the mental health workforce.

Stakeholder Group meeting with Mental Health Australia staff

Project Team

The Project Team is based at Mental Health Australia and includes myself as National Project Manager along with Policy and Project Officer, Kaitlin Saunders and Project and Administration Officer, Charlene Singh. Staff at FECCA and NEDA also provide support to the Project. Our team can be contacted on 02 6285 3100 or at multicultural@mhaustralia.org.

Thank you once again for your interest and support for the National Multicultural Mental Health Project. We look forward to keeping you updated with news and opportunities as the project progresses.

Since the public announcement of the project in May this year, our focus has been on coming together with lived experience and professional experts from across the mental health and multicultural sectors. Together, we’ve shaped and begun a significant program of work which we’re confident will help us move towards a more equitable mental health system, which reflects and responds well to the needs of Australia’s multicultural population.

A key focus of our work program is on the redevelopment and ongoing national promotion of the Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (the Framework), which helps services to evaluate and enhance their cultural responsiveness. We look forward to continuing to reach out to Primary Health Networks, mental health services and interested providers in 2019, and to begin a series of dedicated workshops on the Framework around Australia.

Next year will also see the redevelopment of the project’s website into an up-to-date knowledge network on multicultural mental health. This will involve mapping what evidence-based resources and tools are currently available, and identifying priorities and resource gaps which need to be addressed. We look forward to launching the project’s new branding and website during 2019.

Moving forward, the project will continue to have a strong focus on working with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities around mental health awareness and stigma reduction, and an additional focus on establishing a data collection and reporting strategy.

Mental Health Australia and project partners are calling on consumers and carers from multicultural communities to join an advisory group that will be a key source of advice to the National Multicultural Mental Health Project. The project represents a national focus on mental health for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and aims to aims to support service providers to improve cultural responsiveness and accessibility. Click here to find out more and apply.

Following the exciting announcement of a new national multicultural mental health project last week, Mental Health Australia is currently recruiting for a National Project Manager and a National Project & Administration Officer. This is an excellent opportunity to join our team and make a difference as part of an important national project. Candidates from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications for both positions close 21 May 2018. Click here to find out more.

Mental Health Australia has joined forces with the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) and the National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) as part of an alliance to deliver a new national multicultural mental health project, announced today by Minister for Health the Hon Greg Hunt MP and funded by Australian Government.

The project will work with multicultural mental health consumers and carers to provide a renewed and much needed national focus on mental health and suicide prevention for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

Working alongside such well respected organisations and colleagues in the multicultural community will be a huge advantage in delivering this new project.

We all have a lot to learn from each other, and to unite the mental health and multicultural sectors, to work closely with CALD consumers, carers, and communities, will make a real difference to service delivery and provision.

MHiMA Project Updates

The Project brings together the mental health and multicultural sectors to provide a national focus on mental health and suicide prevention for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

The Project will build on the important work of previous national multicultural mental health projects, including the Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (MHiMA) and the Multicultural Mental Health Australia (MMHA) projects. This will include updating this website and its resources over time.

Find and share information

Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (MHiMA)

The MHiMA Project was funded by the Australian Government, Department of Health, to provide a national focus for advice and support to providers and governments on mental health and suicide prevention for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. The MHiMA Project was completed on 31 December 2016. The National Multicultural Mental Health Project will build on the important work of the MHiMA Project, and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health to 31 December 2020.